Finding Christmas
by speedfanatic05
Summary: “This time of year always came with a moment of cold reminiscence for those whom he had lost.


Finding Christmas

Pairing: Slight Horatio/ Calleigh

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI Miami, and will return them in short order after I have my way with them. CSI Miami and characters here within are property of Jerry Bruckheimer, and CBS.

Summary: "This time of year always came with a moment of cold reminiscence for those whom he had lost."

A/N: Written for CSI Projects Secret Santa 2007

He put the Hummer in park and sat for a moment, watching the scene before him. Several personnel roamed behind the yellow crime scene tape, each attending to their business in their solemn manner. Horatio shook his head lightly as he glanced to see the Christmas decorations that were proudly on display, the snowman standing in the middle of the yard swaying slightly in the breeze that blew from off the Atlantic. No matter how many years he had been in Miami, he could never quiet get used to the idea of having Christmas without the biting cold.

Getting out, he looked to the sky, seeing the sun as it started its trek towards the horizon, the wispy clouds resembling the strokes of a painter's brush as the sky glowed in luscious pinks and oranges, a sign that the Miami winter, despite the mild temperatures, was in full swing. Grabbing for his kit, he shut the door and walked towards the tape, taking a moment to take in his surroundings. To the left of him, he saw the neighbors, milling about and whispering to each other, the flashing lights on the radio car playing against them as they stared at the house. To his right, he saw as the coroner's van stood, its occupant no doubt already in the house assessing the situation. He continued to walk, pulling the tape up and moving under it, his determination starting to form. A crime had been committed, despite the season that should've been bringing tidings of joy. That in itself was enough to further dampen his spirit.

"It's a bad scene in there," a soft voice came from behind him. "I can't believe that we're a week away from Christmas and this still happens."

"Unfortunately, some of us have to bear the burden of other's madness," he responded as she came to a rest at his side. Still looking at the house, he addressed her, "Is it that bad, Calleigh?"

The southern blond sighed heavily and tossed a strand of hair away from her eyes, "its worse. Four victims and five occupants of the house; there's also a child missing, a Christmas Wagner, three years old."

"Christmas?" he asked with an arched brow as Calleigh faced him. Seeing the amusement in her eyes, he smiled faintly. "Not every day you hear a name like that."

"And I suppose Horatio is just run of the mill," Calleigh quipped with a grin. "Coming in?"

"Yeah, give me a moment."

Calleigh nodded silently as she made way into the house, joining her counterparts. Horatio stood for a moment, his hand on his hip and sighed heavily, his heart dropping even more. The house was picture perfect, each window adorned with a candle, and wreaths underneath. There was a row of clear lights that had now started to burn with the going down of the sun, casting a glow about the home. Just as the perfection and devotion was readily seen on the outside of the home, inside, he was sure that he would find more of the same, a family, desecrated by an unforgivable act.

Taking a deep breath and releasing, he started towards the door, his demeanor becoming more and darker. It was no longer about him or the season, it was now about a little girl named Christmas, and she needed to be found.

/Finding Christmas/

"So, did everyone get an invitation?" Calleigh asked the break room as she passed the little envelopes around, each one bearing their names in her concise handwriting. She looked to her teammates and friends as they opened the envelope that contained an invite to her annual Christmas party at her home. Scanning the room, she held his in her hand, turning it over several times. A week had passed, and the leads on the kidnapping of Christmas Wagner had gone cold, leaving them faced with an unsolved case. And as with all unsolved cases, Horatio was stead fast and determined to change that.

"So, keeping up tradition?" Alexx asked as she opened her envelope and reading the invite.

"Yeah, I can't help myself," Calleigh responded with a beaming smile, turning towards the door. Eventually, he would have to surface.

"Please tell me you won't have all that mistletoe hanging around," Tim groused as he tucked his invite into his jacket pocket. "Cause, I can really do without that."

"Anything that requires contact, you can do without, isn't that right, Speed?" Eric interjected as he held up his invitation. "How many of your other friends are you inviting?"

"Enough for me to warn you to behave, Eric," Calleigh countered, making her mind up to go and find him. "The last thing I need to happen is to have a room full of women crying on my shoulder because you didn't call them back."

"You know, that was quite funny," Tim chuckled as he looked to Eric

"Yeah, real comedienne right there," Eric responded as he saw her moving for the door. "Hey, where are you going?"

"To make a delivery," she responded as she pushed out of the door. She knew he would be in one or two places, and if she couldn't find him, she would leave it in his office. Turning to her friends, she smiled, "I'll be right back."

/Finding Christmas/

He sat at his desk, going over the files willing something to jump up at him. For a week, he had thought of nothing but the little girl named Christmas and their efforts to find her. Her only remaining relative, an Aunt, had flown in from Rhode Island earlier in the week and had sat by waiting, with the hope that the little girl would be found unharmed. Horatio hadn't wanted to tell her, but the statistics were stacked against them; the longer the child was missing, the more the chance of finding her body instead of her.

Sighing heavily, he tried to exercise the stricken expression of the Aunt from his consciousness, closing his eyes tightly. No one should've had to endure this during Christmas; it was a time of joy and hope. Instead, he was staring down the barrel of his own tragedies, each one replaying themselves over and over again. This time of year always came with a moment of cold reminiscence for those whom he had lost. The sudden, overwhelming feeling of not adding Christmas Wagoner to that list took over and coursed through his body. He needed to find her.

The picture of the little girl, nestled with her family, her angelic smile permeating through the others, stared back at him and he smiled lightly, "I won't give up." Closing the file down, he turned his chair to the vast window overlooking the trace lab and immersed himself deep in thought. It wasn't long before his phone came to life and he turned back to his desk, grabbing it quickly.

"Caine," he breathed out unceremoniously, covering his eyes with his hand.

"Horatio, I think we may have a lead on the Wagoner case," Frank started, his voice gruff. "We just got a report of a little girl seen in Olympia Heights, matching her description. A shop owner found her just walking around, by herself."

"Olympia Heights?" Horatio asked, his eyebrow crinkling "Isn't that where the maid lived?"

"Yeah, an Angela Marquez. She was their maid up until two weeks ago, so says the pool guy. Sounds like a good motive for murder and a kidnapping." The detective sighed heavily, "We're on our way to check it out. You coming?"

"I'm on my way, Frank," Horatio responded as he replaced the phone on the cradle and got up swiftly. It was his one hope that the little girl was Christmas, and that she had been unharmed.

/Finding Christmas/

Calleigh knocked softly on his door, sure that he was there. Having already checked all the other places he could've been, she rested on the knowledge that he had retreated to his office to go through everything on his own. It was one of the many things she admired about Horatio, the ability to go within himself to find the solution. His moments of quiet contemplation could get intense, but Calleigh conceded that it usually resulted in closed cases and resolution for those left behind. What was his gift, however, was also his curse, his silence being just about unreadable to the lesser talented, but Calleigh liked to think that they had a special bond, sometimes; she could finish his sentences, even his thoughts.

Knocking again, she leaned in and turned the knob, feeling as it gave way easily. Peeking inside, she called out, "Horatio?" As silence answered back, she fully entered his office, the invitation twirling in her hands absently. It was never really Horatio's style to just leave his office open, so she figured he had left in a hurry. Walking towards his desk, she smiled at the controlled chaos that it was, papers somewhat neatly piled on one side, amongst many case files. One in particular caught her eye and she turned it over, bringing it into her sights more. As she had thought, he was steadily working the Wagoner case.

Returning the file back to its original position, she laid the invitation near his phone and smiled wistfully. It was her hope that she would see him at her party; it was her hope that he would finally be able to enjoy a Christmas around family.

/Finding Christmas/

The music was at full blare, many of her friends mingling through her home, the spirit of the season readily apparent. The majority of her time had been spent putting the party together, and as she presided over the melee, she couldn't help but smile, loving the easy going atmosphere. Every so often, she would gaze over to the door, hoping that the next person to walk through it would be him, but every person who had entered wasn't, and she felt her heart sink more. She didn't want him to be alone on a night like this.

Excusing herself from the conversation she was having with Tim and Alexx, she went into her bed room and closed the door, sure that the noise had been confined to the main part of the house. Crossing the room to her night stand, she picked up the phone and dialed his number, waiting for him to pick up. Hearing the prompt to record her message, she closed her eyes and sighed heavily, readying herself to speak.

"Horatio Caine, there's no reason why you couldn't had come. You shouldn't be alone...not tonight." Exasperated, she put a hand to her forehead, "At least give me a call to let me know you still exist, okay? Call me."

Depressing the button, she heard a knock on her door and placed the headset back in its cradle, opening the door with a wide smile. Tim was on the other end, holding a bottle and a smirk riding his face.

"We're out."

"Then punch is the next step there, Speed," she said as she smiled at him even more.

"I have a designated driver, Cal, so stop your worrying," he replied as he dropped the bottle to his side.

Putting a hand on his shoulder, she turned him around, "Just the same, Speed, I think it's time that you put the breaks on. Besides, the night is still getting started, and you need to be lucid for all the mistletoe I put up."

Hearing him groan, she laughed and ushered him back to the party, scanning the depths, hoping that he may have come in. Disappointed, she immersed herself deeply in the throng of party goers, not giving up complete hope. Not yet.

/Finding Christmas/

Horatio sat in the chair at the edge of the bed, his elbows on his thighs, deep in thought. He stared at the floor, allowing the events of the past few days to wash over him. Christmas had been found, somewhat safe, her only ails being dehydration and a mild case of malnutrition. He remembered the first time he laid eyes on the little girl - her own hazel pools eyes wide with hope and relief at being found. The best call he had ever made had been to the little girl's Aunt, hearing the joy that she had seemed to be holding on to for just the occasion.

A wistful smile erupted as he lifted his sights to her, her eyes closed as she slept, her light brown curls framing her face perfectly. If there was one thing that had helped his spirit, it was seeing this little girl finally safe from harm.

Sitting back, he sighed lightly, feeling something poking out from his suit coat and slipped it out of the pocket. Seeing his name in her handwriting, a full smile erupted and he opened it, seeing the invitation. Remembering that he had seen it briefly before on his desk, he had decided to pick it up and keep it. Now as he held it in his hands, he thought more and more about it and then slipped it back into his pocket. The door opened and he looked back to see her Aunt as she came in, a relieved smile riding her face. Horatio nodded and returned the smile, getting up to meet her.

"She's strong," she said as she looked to her niece and smiling. "I haven't told her what happened yet. She's still expecting them to be there in the morning to open presents. I don't know if I have the strength to do it."

Horatio nodded silently and placed his hands on his hips, "Kids... kids have a way of surprising us, Ma'am. She's a strong little girl, and she's survived."

"What kind of Christmas will she have, knowing that her family is gone?" she asked, her eyes drifting from Christmas to Horatio.

"She still has you, Ma'am, and sometimes," he paused as he thought briefly of her, "sometimes, that's all we need."

And in that second, he knew where he had to be. Feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket, he took it and flipped it up, looking at it quickly. Smiling, he watched as the Aunt took her place next to the bed and grabbed at the little girl's hand, squeezing it gently. Christmas opened her eyes and gave a small smile, her little hand squeezing back. Horatio watched the scene with quiet content before walking out of the door. He had somewhere to be.

/Finding Christmas/

Calleigh closed up the bottles, surveying the damage done, shrugging her shoulders as she walked towards the kitchen. The night had been filled with laughter and fun, everyone feeling the Christmas spirit wafting around them. Both Eric and Speed had gotten caught under the mistletoe with a couple of her friends and, begrudgingly, Tim had participated, then following through with getting his cohort's number. Calleigh couldn't help but laugh when Eric had walked out the door empty handed, considering she thought he would be the one with the numbers.

Chuckling to herself, she started emptying out glasses and opened the dishwasher, loading it in an efficient manner. Her thoughts drifted to him, wondering where he spent the night, and what he was thinking about. After finding the Wagoner girl, she could see an improvement in his demeanor, but she still wanted to see more. She had wanted him to come to her party.

"Well, we can't always get what we want," she breathed out as she finished. Hearing the doorbell, she looked to the clock, her eyebrow crinkling at the late hour as she wiped her hands on the towel. Walking towards her door, she took a peek out and saw him standing, his invitation in hand. Smiling brightly, she opened the door and shifted her weight, draping her arm on the door jamb. "You're about four hours late there, handsome. Party's over."

Horatio smiled back at her and handed her the invitation, "I had to do something first. I apologize for not calling."

"It's alright, I know you had to find what you were seeking," she said turning to walk away from him. "Come in?"

Reaching out to her, he gently grabbed her by her arm and glanced up ward, "Tradition dictates that there's a kiss to greet."

Calleigh looked to him then up, seeing the mistletoe hanging with a red ribbon tied, "I do believe you are right."

Horatio smiled once more as she closed in on him, gazing at his intense blue eyes. He had been seeking the spirit of Christmas, and he had found it.

End


End file.
